


Under The Same Sky

by machka



Category: Real Person Fiction, Tulsa Gangstas
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-21
Updated: 2010-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-20 02:52:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/207995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/machka/pseuds/machka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A long, dark night often leads to contemplation of the cosmos...so much the better if you have a friend with whom to share it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under The Same Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to my CinnamonBun Muse, for watching the Solstice eclipse with me via text, and all of your hand-holding and suggestions.
> 
> Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction. The events described therein are not intended to represent actual events. No libel or defamation is intended in posting said fictitious work.
> 
> In other words, it's not real, because I made it all up.

Neal drew a slow, deep breath as he eased open the patio door, flinching slightly as the rail squeaked and stuttered in its track. Gods above, he wished he'd found time to WD-40 the fuckin' thing... He paused, listening intently for any sign of stirring from within, but his father's house stayed dark and silent.

Letting out the breath he'd now held, Neal eased through the cracked-open door, juggling several beers, the living room afghan, and a lit cigarette in his hands, searching the heavens instead of watching his own progress...

Yep, almost there.

Settling into one of his father's deck chairs, he set the beers on the planks beside him, and jammed the cigarette into his mouth as he spread the afghan over his legs. Better...but still not perfect.

He dug into his pocket and hauled out his phone, swiping and tapping through to a familiar number. He took a deep drag on his cigarette as the call went through, training his eyes on the sky.

Andy was sprawled out on the couch, watching "A Christmas Story" with his mom and dad, both half-asleep in their respective chairs. Feeling his phone buzz, he quickly pulled it out of his pocket, his heart flipping at the caller ID. Slipping off the couch, Andy headed to the kitchen before he accepted the call.

"Hey...was wondering when you were going to call," he said softly.

"Couldn't wait any longer..." Neal murmured, watching the smoke drifting from his mouth to hang in the night air. "Look out the window."

Andy glanced out the kitchen window and smiled. "It's starting... How's your view?" He tip-toed back to the living room, grabbing the blanket off the back of the couch, and snuck back to the kitchen, heading outside to the patio.

"Got some clouds...a little hazy, a little chilly...but my gods, Andy, you should see the stars..." Neal replied, pulling his knees up as he leaned his head back. "Abso-fuckin'-lutely beautiful..." He took another pull off his cigarette, flicking the ash lightly to the side of his chair as he exhaled slowly. "How're things at the compound?"

Andy sat down on the lounge chair and wrapped the blanket around him with a soft sigh. "Good...miss you though. Not the same without you here," he whispered. There was a certain comfort, though, in knowing that Neal was looking up into the same night sky. "God, it does look beautiful...not as many stars as what you are seeing, though." He shivered slightly, pulling the blanket tighter around himself.

"Yeah...them city lights don't help..." Neal murmured, the cigarette dangling from his fingers as he brought the beer bottle up to his lips for a swallow. "I'm out on th'deck in one of them big-assed deck chairs of Dad's..." he continued, his voice shading low and wistful. "Feels so fuckin' empty without you here..."

He wasn't strictly speaking about the chair he occupied, which went without saying, and he knew that Andy understood.

Andy swallowed thickly. "Yeah," he said softly. He didn't say anything for the longest time, knowing that words weren't always necessary. Just the sound of the other letting out a soft sigh was enough. "You finish your cigarette yet?" he asked quietly.

Neal startled, choking on his beer in mid-sip as Andy caught him off-guard. "...Almost done with it, yeah..." he coughed, a smile spreading across his face. "You know me too well, Skibby..."

Andy laughed softly. "I can hear every time you take a drag." He grinned, his heart clenching as it hit him how much he missed Neal.

Neal heard the slight hitch in Andy's breath, and his smile waned. "Hey...you okay?" His affectionate tone was tempered with anxiety and concern.

Andy smiled, his eyes still drawn to the sky above him. "Yeah. It's just been a while since we weren't together at this time of year," he replied.

Neal knocked the cherry off his butt and dropped it to the deck, curling up in the chair with the afghan tucked up beneath his chin. "Yeah, I know..." he murmured, watching the penumbra of the Earth beginning to slip across the surface of the moon. "...You seein' that, Andy?"

Andy smiled and sucked in a deep breath. "Oh yeah...amazing..." he whispered. "...Was worried you would forget to call tonight."

"...Why would you think that?" Neal asked, a slight frown creasing his brow.

Andy smiled. "Because I was falling asleep on the couch, and you've had less sleep than me in the last couple of days."

"Oh, no..." Neal breathed, sitting up a little straighter in the chair as his gaze dropped to his knees. "I promised you...I couldn't _not_ call...not tonight..."

Andy wished he were there with Neal...or that Neal was here with him. "I'm glad that you did. Would've come after you if you hadn't," he teased.

"Damn, missed my chance t'see you, then." Neal smiled faintly, tipping the beer up to his lips. "Hey, Andy. 'M drinkin' Natty Lite..." he teased, a hint of laughter in his voice. "Don't s'pose you want any..."

Andy laughed and shook his head, pulling the blanket tight around him. "Only because you would be offering."

"...'Member your eighteenth birthday?" Neal grinned, flicking his tongue lightly around the rim of the bottle.

Andy groaned. "Oh, fuck... Yeah, I remember...and I remember the morning after." He rubbed his temple, grinning, his gaze still on the slowly-disappearing moon.

Neal chuckled under his breath as he lowered the bottle. "'Member what was goin' on that night? I mean, 'sides you tryin' t'drink your age in shots and beer?"

Andy shivered again, but this time not from the cold. "Yeah, I remember... _vaguely,_ " he grinned.

Neal snorted softly into the mouth of his bottle, making a hollow sound in its belly. "You _vaguely_ remember me fuckin' you into the mattress? Or do you _vaguely_ remember coming down my throat?"

Andy grinned. "Both...and can't wait to see you at home and relive some memories."

Neal shook his head, laughing quietly. "We do that shit nearly every night we're t'gether, dumbass," he replied, the tenderness in his voice easing whatever sting his words might have carried. "No, I was thinkin' about what we started off doin' that night...the other reason for me comin' over that night..."

Andy smiled softly and rolled onto his side. "Tell me about it...refresh my memory."

"Seem t'remember there was another full lunar eclipse that night...and I'm not talkin' 'bout your ass," Neal replied, the grin on his face bleeding into his voice. "Do y'remember that?"

Andy smiled. He had known that, but just listening to Neal's voice was perfect. "Yeah, I remember...it was a good night...not one that I'll forget, regardless of how much I had to drink," he said softly.

"Remember what happened when the moon went red?" Neal asked softly, sliding down a bit further in his chair.

Andy's breath caught in his throat thinking back to that night. "Keep telling me..." he whispered, wanting to hear Neal's voice.

"Remember how fuckin' cold an' wet it was outside?" Neal asked, tipping his head back to watch the moon get swallowed up by the Earth's umbral shadow. His voice gradually lowered, slipping into a register Andy knew well. "Remember how you had t'huddle up against me t'stay warm, even with all th'booze you were puttin' away?"

Andy couldn't stop smiling. "Mmmhmm... I remember trying my damnedest to be cold, so I could have a valid reason to be so damn close to you," he grinned.

"Oh, believe me, you were plenty fuckin' cold," Neal chuckled softly. "Didn't help that you thought you'd get a fuckin' head-start on them pantsless parties for the holiday season..."

Andy snorted and covered his mouth. "Had to make it realistic." He let out a soft sigh, still smiling. "You weren't protesting."

"Nope, sure wasn't..." Neal murmured. "Seems t'me I might've been pushin' for you t'make it a topless party, too..." He grinned wickedly, and raised the bottle to his lips again, draining it. "...An' I'm pretty sure I succeeded."

Andy shivered. "Oh, you did...and more..." he whispered, a wistful longing slipping into his voice as he bit his lip. "When are you coming back home?"

Neal swallowed hard. The plaintive note in Andy's voice was almost more than he could bear. "Soon, Andy," he whispered, his throat tight with emotion. "Just a few more days... We can do this."

Andy sucked in a deep breath. "Yeah, I know...just...next year? I don't care anymore - we go where we need to go, together."

Neal's heart squeezed in his chest, his head turning automatically to the empty space by his side as he nodded, even though Andy couldn't see his agreement. "We will," he whispered. "I promise."

Sighing deeply, he looked back up at the moon, now almost completely occluded by the Earth's shadow, glowing a coppery red. "Look up, Andy..."

Andy rolled back over to his back, shifting his gaze back to the sky. "I'm looking up," he whispered.

Inhaling shakily, Neal sank back into the chair. "Gods, look at that..." he breathed, tracing the rim of his beer bottle with a fingertip. "Fuckin' beautiful, ain't it?"

Andy nodded slowly, wishing that he could see more stars. "It is," he whispered, letting out a breath as he curled up in the blanket more. "This made my night," he whispered. "Neal...love you."

Neal closed his eyes, drawing a soft, stuttering breath. "Love you too, Andy," he murmured back.


End file.
